Arsenal sign David Beckham's eldest son Brooklyn Beckham

Brooklyn Beckham

Arsenal have fended off competition from Manchester United and Chelsea to snap up 15-year-old Brooklyn Beckham, the eldest son of the erstwhile poster-boy of British football, David Beckham.

The north London club have given him a one-year contract that will run to the end of the 2014-15 season, but will sign the promising youngster on a long-term basis if he can continue to shine.

According to an Arsenal source, “Brooklyn really has potential. Wenger was impressed with his talent, his attitude and his drive to succeed. Brooklyn is talented and he has stood out in all of the training sessions and games he has played.”

“He has had other teams sniffing around and it was always going to be a case of when, not if, he was signed up by a big-name club. Arsenal realise he can be a huge talent. They have seen that potential and protected their asset.”

“The club has signed him, fending off interest from Manchester United and Chelsea in the meantime. Next summer we may see him sign a big-money deal with Arsenal.”

Brooklyn is the first Beckham to follow in his father’s footsteps and sign a professional contract with a football club, although all of the Beckham children have been reported to be impressing at various youth levels at Arsenal. The boys have been spotted regularly at the Emirates Stadium with their 39-year-old father, who trained there two seasons ago to maintain his fitness.